Transcript

3.
Our Purpose
The primary purpose of the Salesforce
blog is to attract new readers to our
brand of intelligent, helpful content.
We publish useful, interesting, topical,
top-of-funnel content that helps our
customers solve their business
problems.
By writing for us, you’re not only helping
thought leaders solve their business
problems—you’re adding your own voice
to the Salesforce brand.

4.
What We Do Not Publish
We do not publish product news and
information, product launch news,
general corporate news or other content
that is aimed specifically at existing
customers or people who are already
knowledgeable of and interested in
salesforce.com.
And we don’t pitch. Our blog is not
advertising—for us or for you.

5.
What’s in it for me?
279,574 followers
Audience and influence. Our blog gets around 200,000 visits each
month, and we promote all of our blog posts across various social
channels from Salesforce accounts. See above for some key stats.
192,000+ followers 351,000+ likes

6.
Top of What?
Our mission is to engage with a wide range of readers, many of whom may
not even know what “CRM” means. This means that our content is never
overly technical, and we don’t talk like insiders; instead, we offer general tips,
insights, news, and thought leadership articles that any business-savvy
reader will find interesting and helpful.
Examples: Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

7.
When, What, and How of Submitting
When to submit: At least a week in advance of the desired publication
date.
How to submit: If you have a Typepad account, login and submit your post.
If you don’t have one, send the following materials to
aschirtzinger@salesforce.com:
• your blog post (title + body ⇒ see details below)
• a brief professional bio that includes your Twitter handle (if you have one)
• a headshot
What to submit: Timely, interesting, important top-of-funnel posts of
400-700 words that help our readers solve their business problems.

8.
Before You Blog: Some Questions to Answer
1. What am I sharing that’s new or different?
2. Why should anyone care?
3. Is what I’m saying important? Does it have a sense of urgency?
4. Is it user-friendly? (Lists are; long-winded narratives aren’t.)
Answer each of these questions, and then use that insight to inform the way
you write your post.

9.
Exclusivity
We ask that you refrain from syndicating or publishing your post on any
other site, including your personal site, until 7 days after its publication on
salesforce.com. We will promote your post on our social channels during
that time.

11.
Title
This is the most important part of your post—
your first (and sometimes only) chance to
pique a reader’s interest. With that in mind,
your title should be:
• short and pithy (70 characters max)
• value-oriented (tell the reader how your post will help
her—by offering “5 ways to close deals faster,” for
instance, or “how to manage up”)
• not cheesy! (don’t go all Upworthy on us)

12.
Body
This is the 400-600 words you have in which
to state your idea and offer your value
proposition to the reader. Some tips:
• The most successful blog posts impart one big idea
(which may be divided up into several digestible
pieces, such as in a list).
• Most people share content before reading it! So it’s
particularly important to deliver value in the first few
sentences of your post.
• Sections are good! Use numbered or bulleted lists or
bolded section headers to break up the post into bites.
• Remember 8th-grade English: intro and conclusion
paragraphs help readers know what to expect and
carry forward an easy takeaway.

13.
Style + Tone
Think of our blog style as business casual.
We’re smart, informed, and we’re here to
solve our readers’ business problems just as
much as Harvard Business Review is—but
we’re not stuffy, and we know how to have as
much fun as BuzzFeed.

15.
When should I submit?
At least a week in advance of the desired publication date.
What if the deadline has passed?
Too bad. No, just kidding. We understand that these things happen, and we can make
exceptions. But we’re busy, and you’re busy, so it’s easier if we don’t have to.
Will my blog be edited?
Yes! We proofread everything we publish—carefully. We do reserve the right to edit for style,
clarity, grammar, spelling and ease of understanding. We're all writers ourselves, and will do our
best not to change your "voice." We'll also do our best to alert you if we make any changes
beyond what's mentioned above. But please do keep in mind that deadline pressures may not
always make that possible.
I still have questions and/or need favors.
Email and/or bring chocolate toAlexa Schirtzinger: aschirtzinger@salesforce.com